This event is part of the Time Salon series. The Time Salon is a facilitated gathering offered by the Kola Nut Collaborative which guides participants through dialogue and practice in communal asset mapping, social economy, and non-monetary exchange. In this intentional space, we challenge the idea that participation in a framework of economic exchange necessitates the use of the dollar as currency.

Chicago has historically been home to several experimental economies. The Kola Nut Collaborative has launched an independent research effort to document and develop a shared historical narrative which displays the relationship of these efforts to the present revival of time-banking in Chicago. In the view of the Collaborative, each neighborhood is composed of several informal and social economies which would fit within this framework.

During this Time Salon, we will share some of the narratives drawn from this research. Participants will discuss their own connection to these experimental economies and use this insight as a way to map our current aspirations. We will also determine what assets we already possess within or around us and what assets have not been identified.This mapping process should bring us closer to making our ideas a reality.